Combination electric range and hot-water heater



Oct. 26, 1954 E. w. WOLF 2,692,936

COMBINATION ELECTRIC RANGE AND HOT WATER HEATER Filed July 20, 1953 2 Sheets-$heet 1 F I} I -29 1 H6. 2 1 ll I 1 INVENTOR. J u 1" 015? W WOLF IL 1 50 i BY ZWC;

Oct. 26, 1954 E. w. WOLF 2,692,936

COMBINATION ELECTRIC RANGE AND HOT WATER HEATER Filed July 20, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ArraeA Patented Oct. 26, 1954 COMBINATION ELECTRIC RANGE AND HOT-WATER HEATER Elmer W. Wolf, Parma,

Cleveland Heater Comp Ohio, assignor to The any, Cleveland, Ohio Application July 20, 1953, Serial No. 369,037

2 Claims.

This invention relates to electric heater devices, and more particularly, to an electric range having an electric water heater mounted therein, the invention also including means for automatically preventing overloading of the power line.

Many new homes are located in rural areas where electricity is the only suitable source of heat for ranges and water heaters. In many instances homes are not provided with basements or other suitable areas for housing a hot water heater, and it therefore has been found to be necessary to locate the hot water heater in the kitchen, where it frequently occupies space needed for other purposes.

I have discovered that an electric hot water heater may be installed in an electric cooking range in such manner, that it is completely concealed in the range, is readily accessible for adjustment and repair and may be provided with certain controls preventing overloading of the power line.

Therefore an object of this invention is to provide an attractive combination electric range and water heater, adapted for home use and constructed and arranged in such manner that overloading of the power line, supplying current to the appliances, is prevented.

Other objects are to provide a neat and attractive combination electric range and hot water heater in which the range housing the heater has the appearance of a conventional range.

Other objects are to provide a combination electric range and hot water heater which is easily operated, readily installed, accessible for adjustment and repairs and may be produced at a relatively low cost.

These and other objects will be apparent during the course of the following specification. In the drawings forming a part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of my combination electric range and hot water heater with parts broken away showing certain controls and a part of the tank;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the range having parts broken away to show the water tank and piping;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing complete circuits in range and hot water heater, while Fig. 4 includes diagrammatic views of circuits and switches for top range units.

The present embodiment Of thisinvention comprises an electric cooking range adapted for use in the home and also an electric hot water heater disposed within the framework of the range. In order to prevent the overloadin of the 3-wire single phase electric line to which the device is connected, the hot water heater is automatically disconnected when any one of the four surface heating units is being used. The hot water heater is connected in such manner that it may be used simultaneously with an oven or broiler heating unit. The oven and broiler heating units are connected in such manner that only one of them can be on at a time, the hot water heater circuits permitting normal operation of the hot water tank when either the broiler or oven burners are on. Coupled with the above is a neon signal light which indicates when any one of the four top surface units is in operation. The neon light also serves as a warning signal that the tank has become overheated and the limit switch has opened the circuit. The neon light which normally functions when any one of the top units is on, due to the disposition and arrangement of its circuits, will fail to function whenever any of the top units are turned on after the tank limit switch has opened the circuit.

In the drawings the numeral it) indicates a combination electric range and hot water heater, including a sheet metal cabinet 1 I of conventional shape, size and construction commonly used in kitchens for cooking purposes. Such ranges are usually provided with an inner shell and an outer shell having insulating material such as spun glass or the like located between the inner and outer shell. The left half of the cabinet I I is provided with an upper door 12 leading to an oven and broiler compartment I3, while a lower door I 4 afiords access to a storage compartment 5. The right half of the cabinet H comprises a water heater compartment l6 having an upper door I! and a lower door panel 18 affording access to the lower tank controls. Operating handles 2 I provide means for opening and closing the doors in an obvious manner.

The interior of the oven compartment I3 is provided with an oven heating unit I 9 having a 2500 watt rating and a broiler heating unit 20 having a rating of 3000 watts, it being suitably connected to a thermostat as hereinafter described. The top of the range It] is provided with four electric surface heat units indicated by the numerals 22, 23, 24 and 25, which are controlled by four range switches 22a, 23a, 24a and 25a respectively, each switch being provided with an off position and seven heat positions. The two neon lights shown on Fig. 3 as mounted on the combination switch and thermostat designated 28 serve to indicate when either the oven heating unit [9 or the broiler heating unit 20 are in on position. The construction and operation of the four top burners is well known in the art, and hence the detailed explanations of circuits for each heating stage are omitted. The input ratings of the two left heating units 22 and 23 are 1250 watts each, the right front unit 24 is 2100 watts, while the right rear unit 25 is 1550 watts. A neon light 39 mounted on a back panel 26 below the range switch knobs serves a purpose hereinafter explained. The back panel 26 is removable and is more fully explained in a co-pending application, Serial No. 380,316 filed September 15, 1953 by E. F. Kennedy. A conventional clock 21 is mounted on the back panel 26. A combination switch and thermostat 28 controls the oven and broiler heating units i9 and 20.

A metal hot water tank 29, as illustrated in Figs, 1 and 2, suitably mounted within the water heater compartment l6 of the cabinet H on a suitable base 33, is provided with a cold water supply pipe 3i and a hot water pipe 32 leading from the bottom of the tank 29. The tank 29 may be of any suitable construction preferably having a wall of insulation surrounding it, an important requirement being that it has the proper size and shape to fit into the water heater compartment i of the cabinet i i. I have found that a 36 gallon galvanized tank of the size and shape indicated in the drawings is satisfactory for most purposes. If desired, the tank may be provided with a sacrificial magnesium anode for corrosion protective purposes.

Two panels 33 provided in water heater compartment iii to hold the insulation against the tank are placed at an angle to allow the use of tools to remove controls in case access to them is required for repairing or replacement. The angular relation of the panels 33 is illustrated in the cut-away portion of Fig. 1. A bottom panel 33a joins the two panels 33 at the bottom thereof, the panels 33 being suitably secured to the front wall of the range l0.

As shown in Fig. 1 water heater controls are disposed on the outer tank wall between the two spaced inner margins of the panels 33. A temperature limit switch 33 located near the top of the tank serves to cut out both tank thermostats described below when tank temperature reaches a dangerous high limit. Below the switch 34 is an upper tank thermostat 35 and below that is an upper tank heating element 36, then a lower tank thermostat 3'! and below that a lower tank heating element 38. The tank thermostats 35 and 3? are connected in an interlocking circuit permitting either but not both to be on at the same time, depending on the temperature of the water. The tank heating elements 36 and 38 are held in place by locking bolts and the thermostats 35 and 3? and limit switch 33 are held in place by spring mounting brackets mounted on heating element bolts in accordance with conventional practice in the art. A capacitor 42 of .1 micro farad capacity is located between the temperature limit switch 34 and the upper tank thermostat 35, the purpose of this capacitor 42 is to furnish current to the neon light 33 during periods when the tank has reached its thermostat setting and the thermostatic circuit has been disconnected.

Referring to the wiring diagrams Figs. 3 and 4 it will be seen that electric current is supplied to the device through a three wire terminal block 33 on which are mounted three terminal wires i la, Mb, and Me. As shown, these Wires are connectedto the top of the four range switches 22a, 23a, 23a, and 25a and the control knobs for which 4 appear on Fig. 1, and the combination switch and thermostat 28 on the back of the panel 26 and each range switch is conveniently wired to its associated surface unit.

The combination switch and thermostat 2B is connected to the oven heating unit l9 and the broiler heating unit 20, and controls the temperature therein. These heating units, of course, are arranged within appropriate compartments indicated by the broken line rectangles O and B on Fig. 3, the compartment rectangles being also designated by the numerals 4| and 40. This combination switch and thermostat 2B is positioned and arranged in such a manner that either the oven heating unit H! or boiler heating unit 20 may be selectively used simultaneously with or independently of any of the top heating elements 22, 23, 23, and 25. Also the oven heating unit [3 and broiler heating unit 20 may be selectively used simultaneously with or independently of the upper or lower tank heating elements 35 and 38.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4 each range switch is provided with an extra set of contacts 3 and 6 for controlling the tank circuit. Each of these extra contacts 3 and E of the switches 22a, 23a, 23a, and 256: are wired in series with a tank circuit, shown as including circuit leads X and Y. The lead line X is connected to one side of the 220 volt line while the lead line Y is connected through the range switch contacts 3 and 6 of the four switches 22a to 25m in a series circuit. Thus when any of the four range switches are moved from the off position to closed or on position the tank circuit is automatically opened and will not function because each range switch is connected to a circuit in series with it.

The tank circuit is operated on 220 v. One side of the 220 v. line goes direct to the temperature limit switch 34 and the other side of the 220 v. line goes through the series circuit consisting of the four range switches 22a, 23a, 24a and 25a, back to the other side of the 220 v. line.

The operation of the tank heating units and controls is conventional. Limit switch 34 prevents the tank from over-heating. Upper tank thermostat 35 controls the upper heating element 33 and lower thermostat 31 controls the lower heating element 38, each heating element having a maximum input of 5000 w. which are wired in a limited demand circuit, and will allow either the upper or lower tank heating element 36 and 38 respectively to be on, but not both at the same time. On the right side of panel 26 is located a small convenience outlet 58 for general utility purposes such as for electric toaster or other appliances. This outlet 43 protected by a fuse 39 located on one of the angular panels 33, may be used at any time independently of the disposition and arrangement of any other circuits or controls.

Th operation of the device is as follows: There are four surface unit range switches 22a, 23a, 24a and 25a on the range H3. The contacts on said range switches are so arranged that in the off position a series circuit is completed to the tank circuit including the lines X and Y illustrated in Fig. 3. When in this off position current fiOWS through said four surface unit switches to the limit switch 34 and from there to the upper tank thermostat 35 or lower thermostat 3"! to the tank heating elements.

If any of said range switches is on the tank circuit is opened and no current flows to the tank circuit. The neon indicating light 39 is then automatically turned on. Actually, the two terminals or" the neon light 3?, are connected across one leg of the tank circuit, across said four range switches and one side of the temperature limit switch When all said range switches are in the 01? position and the limit switch is in the on position, the two wire leads or" the non bulb are shunted. When the shunt is opened by turning on any of the four range switches the current flows from one side of the line through either the upper tank heating element 30 or lower element 30 depending on temperature of water, through the temperature limit switch 3 to the other side of the neon light thus completing the circuit.

Normally when a range switch is opened, the neon indicating light 38 would be on providing the temperature of the water is such as to keep either tank thermostat in the operating condition, allowing current to flow through the heating elements. However, if the water has reached the operating temperature of the thermostat, the thermostats would automatically open and there would be no return circuit to the neon light which would not function. The return circuit is then completed by the capacitor 42 which will pass suiiicient current to operate the neon bulb indicating light.

The arrangement and disposition of the circuits and controls of this embodiment of the invention is such that overloading of the power supply line is prevented. If, for example, the four top units having a total input rating of 6150 w. were turned on simultaneously with the broiler unit, having an input rating of 3000 w., and a tank heating element having a maximum input of 5000 w., the total load on the line would amount to 14,150 w., which if it corresponded to the time of peak loads by other power users on the same line, would seriously overload the line. By the use of my invention, however, due to the arrangement of the circuits and controls, there will not be the possibility of overloading the line, as the tank circuit is closed whenever any of the top burners are operating, thus the maximum line load possible with my invention would occur when the broiler unit input of 3000 w. were added to a tank element input of 5000 w., totalling 8000 w. which is a safe load for conventional power lines. The unit is adapted to be readily installed in the kitchen, where it has the appearance of a conventional electric range, yet it serves the dual purpose of an electric range and automatic hot water heater.

The limit switch 34 will automatically open if the temperature of the water reaches approximately 210 F. or any predetermined setting. When the limit switch 34 opens, there will be no return current for the neon bulb even though the range switches are in the off position. Thus, when the neon bulb fails to light upon turning on any of the four range switches, it indicates that the temperature limit switch has opened up due to a high tank temperature and the trouble should be corrected. Thus in efiect it provides a constant monitor of tank operation.

It is believed that the use of diagrammatic drawings will adequately explain the construction and operation of this illustrative embodiment of my invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiment of my invention may be variously changedused or modified, without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing the advantages thereof, that the present embodiment of the invention is illustrative only, and my invention is not limited thereto.

1 claim:

1. combination electric range and hot water heater including a cabinet, top electric heating units, an oven heating unit and a broiler heating unit mounted in said cabinet, controls for said heating units, a hot water tank also mounted in said cabinet and provided with electric heating units and controls therefor, and a tank circuit furnishing current to said tank, the improvement comprising, controlling means connecting said tank circuit with a source of power connected with said top heating unit controls, said top heating unit controls being connected and arranged in such manner that when they are all in off position a series circuit may be completed to said tank circuit, and when any of said top heater unit controls are in on position no current may flow to the tank circuit, and means connected and arranged in such manner that either said even heating unit or broiler heating unit may be selectively used simultaneously with or independently of any of said top heating units or with or independently of said tank heating units.

2. In a combination electric range and hot water heater including a cabinet, top electric heating units, an oven heating unit mounted in said cabinet, controls for said heating units, a hot water tank also mounted in said cabinet and provided with an electric heating unit and controls therefor, and a tank circuit furnishing current to said tank, the improvement comprising, controlling means connecting said tank circuit with a source of power and connected with said top heating unit controls, said top heating unit controls being connected and arranged in such manner that when they are all in 01? position a series circuit may be completed to said tank circuit, and when any of said top heater unit controls are in on position no current may flow to the tank circuit, and a combination switch and thermostat connected to and controlling said oven heating unit in such manner that said oven heating unit may be used simultaneously with or independently of any of said top heating units, and said oven heating unit may be used independently of or simultaneously with said tank heating unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,000,413 Myers May 7, 1935 2,008,541 Boyd et a1. July 16, 1935 2,038,476 Clark et a1 Apr. 21, 1936 2,101,430 Goldbert et a1. Dec. 7, 1937 2,368,488 Ogden Jan. 20, 1945 

